great alaska earthquake

7/25/2019 Great Alaska Earthquake

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Great Alaska Earthquake, Prince William Sound,

March 28, 1964

https://data.noaa.gov/dataset/great-alaska-earthquake-prince-william-sound-march-28-1964

The Prince William Sound magnitude 8.4 earthquake at 03:36 UT on March 28, 1964, was one of

the largest shocks ever recorded on the North American Continent. The quake was felt over 500,000

square miles. The quake took 131 lives and caused $350-500 million in property damage (One

hundred twenty-two of the deaths were attributed to the tsunami.) The area of the damage zone

(50,000 square miles) and the duration of the quake (3 to 4 minutes) were extraordinary. This set of

slides shows geologic changes, damage to structures, transportation systems, and utilities and

tsunami damage. It features the effects of four major landslides in Anchorage during the 1964 event.

Certainly the quake would have claimed many more lives had the population not been sparse, the

weather clement, and had the quake not occurred during the off-season for fishing and on the

evening of a holiday when the schools were empty and most offices deserted.Geologic Changes -

The quake was accompanied by vertical displacement of earth over a 100,000 square mile region.

The maximum uplift recorded was 33 feet (10 m) on land, and as much as 50 feet (15 m) on the sea

floor. Subsidence exceeded 7 feet (2 m). The uplift destroyed or greatly impaired the usefulness of

many harbors. The habitats of many animals, trees and other vegetation were destroyed or damaged

by subsidence. Low-lying settlements and many miles of railroad and highway were dropped below

the level of high tide so that they were periodically flooded and attacked by storm waves. Crustal

deformation associated with this earthquake was the most extensive ever recorded and extended far

beyond the epicentral area. Faulting of bedrock at the earth's surface during the earthquake was

found only in the area of maximum tectonic uplift on southwest Montague Island in Prince William

Sound and on the sea floor southwest of Montague Island. No faulting at the surface was found inthe zone between the areas that were tectonically uplifted and downdropped. Grabens (elongated

down-dropped blocks between faults) formed in many places. The strong ground motion induced

many snowslides, rockfalls, and subaerial and subaqueous landslides. Large subaerial slides in

Anchorage and subaqueous slides at Valdez and Seward damaged streets, buildings, utilities, and

shore side structures. Numerous slope and embankment failures harmed railways, highways, and

particularly bridges. Rock avalanches and snow avalanches, subsidence, and consolidation

occurred; and cracks, fissures, and sand spouts developed in many places. Soil liquefaction played a

major roll in the development of most landslides.Damage To Structures, Transportation, and Utilities

- Anchorage, Cordova, Homer, Kodiak, Seldovia, Seward, and Valdez were damaged severely by

uplift or subsidence, shaking, landslides, tsunamis, and fires. In Anchorage damaging landslidesoccurred in Turnagain, Fourth Avenue, "L" Street, and Government Hill areas. Structural damage

was largely the result of landslides. Seismic vibration caused severe structural damage in

Anchorage, Valdez, and the large delta of the Coper River. Damage from seismic vibration was most

common in buildings and structures constructed of heavy materials and tended to be most severe in

tall buildings. Notable among the partly or completely collapsed buildings in Anchorage were the

Four Seasons apartment building, the Government Hill School, and the J.C. Penney building.
https://data.noaa.gov/dataset/great-alaska-earthquake-prince-william-sound-march-28-1964https://data.noaa.gov/dataset/great-alaska-earthquake-prince-william-sound-march-28-1964


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However, many of the heavy structures in these areas sustained minimal seismic damage. Generally

well-built wood-frame buildings of seismic resistant design sustained very little damage from

vibration generated by the earthquake. Valdez was severely damaged by a large submarine

landslide and the resulting waves that destroyed the waterfront facilities. The ground beneath the

town was deformed damaging the foundations of structures. The town was moved to a new site at a

cost of $37,500,000.Damage to surface transportation facilities was extensive. Landslides,

embankment failures, subsidence of ground, tsunami action, and soil movements that distorted or

destroyed bridges were the main causes of damage. The Alaska Railroad lost its port facility at

Whittier, its docks at Seward, and numerous bridges on the Kenai Peninsula. Reconstruction of the

railroad facilities was completed in two and one half years at a cost of $22 million. Many highway

bridges, especially on the Seward and Copper River highways, were damaged. Many port and

harbor facilities, especially at Seward, Valdez, Kodiak, Whittier, Cordova, and Homer, were

destroyed. The major damage to utilities occurred in Anchorage where the earth slides set in motion

by the earthquake caused extensive damage to all utility systems. Oil storage tanks at Valdez,

Seward, and Whittier ruptured and burned.Tsunamis - The submarine landslides resulting from the

earthquake created local sea waves or tsunamis, which, together with the major tsunami generatedby the crustal deformation, smashed port and harbor facilities, disturbed and killed salmon fry,

leveled forests, and caused the saltwater invasion of many coastal freshwater lakes. In addition to

the local tsunamis the earthquake generated a major tsunami that was recorded throughout the

Pacific Basin and lapped against Antarctica. The major tsunami caused extensive damage outside

Alaska in Port Alberni British Columbia and took 16 lives in Oregon and California. Of the one

hundred twenty-two deaths resulting from the tsunamis, at least 71 deaths were blamed on the local

slump-generated tsunamis in Alaska. The quake also generated seiches in rivers, harbors, channels,

lakes, and swimming pools as distant as the United States Gulf Coast States. Total tsunami damage

amounted to about $84 million in Alaska.


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1964 Alaska earthquake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_laska_earth!"ake

1964 Alaska earthquake

Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, looking east from

near Barrow Street. The southern edge of one of several

landslides in Anchorage, this one covered an area of

over a dozen blocks, including 5 blocks along the north

side of Fourth Avenue. Most of the area was razed and

made an urban renewaldistrict.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_renewalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_renewal


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Date ! March "#$% &A'ST(

Magnitude #. Mw)"*

Depth "% miles &+ km(

Epicenter $"+-/0 "%!1-%1/2

Type Megathrust

Areas afected 3nited States, 4anada

Total damage +"" million

Max intensity 67 &Extreme(

!eak acceleration ."1 g

"asualties "+# killed

#he 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquakeand Good Friday

earthquake, occ"rred at $:%6 &.'.(#on )ood Friday, 'arch *+.*-cross so"thcentrallaska,

gro"nd fiss"res, collapsing str"ct"res, and ts"namisres"lting from the earth!"ake ca"sed ao"t 1%9

deaths.%-
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0asting fo"r min"tes and thirtyeight seconds, the magnit"de 9.* megathr"st earth!"akewas the

most powerf"l recorded in orth mericanhistory, and the second most powerf"l recordedin world

history. (oil li!"efaction, fiss"res, landslides, and other gro"nd fail"res ca"sed ma2or str"ct"ral

damage in se3eral comm"nities and m"ch damage to property.nchorages"stained great

destr"ction or damage to many inade!"ately earth!"ake engineeredho"ses, "ildings, and

infrastr"ct"re pa3ed streets, sidewalks, water and sewer mains, electrical systems, and other manmade e!"ipment5, partic"larly in the se3eral landslide ones along7nik rm. #wo h"ndred miles

so"thwest, some areas near 7odiak were permanently raised y %8 feet 9.1 m5. (o"theast of

nchorage, areas aro"nd the head of #"rnagain rm near )irdwoodand&ortagedropped as m"ch

as feet *.4 m5, re!"iring reconstr"ction and fill to raise the (eward ighway ao3e the new

high tidemark.

;n &rince William (o"nd, &ort s"r3i3ors o"tran the wa3e, climing to high

gro"nd. &ost!"ake ts"namis se3erely affected Whittier, (eward, 7odiak, and other laskancomm"nities, as well as people and property in ?ritish =ol"mia, Washington, @regon, and

=alifornia.4-#s"namis also ca"sed damage in awaii and Aapan. B3idence of motion directly related

to the earth!"ake was reported from all o3er the world.

Contents

hide-

1 )eology

* #s"namis

% Ceath toll, damage, and cas"alties

o %.1 nchorage area

o %.* Blsewhere in laska

o %.% =anada

o %.4 Blsewhere

4 ftershocks

$ (ee also

6 Deferences

o 6.1 )eneral references

+ BEternal links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megathrust_earthquakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Americahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Americahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_earthquakes_by_magnitudehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_liquefactionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_engineeringhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_engineeringhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knik_Armhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knik_Armhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdwood,_Anchoragehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portage_(Anchorage)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portage_(Anchorage)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portage_(Anchorage)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdez,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdez,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunamihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenega,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenega,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Geologyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Tsunamishttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Death_toll.2C_damage.2C_and_casualtieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Anchorage_areahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Elsewhere_in_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Canadahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Elsewherehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Aftershockshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#See_alsohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Referenceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#General_referenceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#External_linkshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megathrust_earthquakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Americahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_earthquakes_by_magnitudehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_liquefactionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_engineeringhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knik_Armhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdwood,_Anchoragehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portage_(Anchorage)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdez,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunamihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenega,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Geologyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Tsunamishttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Death_toll.2C_damage.2C_and_casualtieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Anchorage_areahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Elsewhere_in_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Canadahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Elsewherehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Aftershockshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#See_alsohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#Referenceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#General_referenceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#External_links


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Geologyedit-

t $:%6 p.m.laska (tandard #ime%:%6 a.m. 'arch *, 1964 #=5, a fa"ltetween

the&acificand orth mericanplatesr"pt"red near =ollege F2ordin &rince William (o"nd.

#he epicenterof the earth!"ake was 1*.4 mi *8 km5 north of &rince William (o"nd, + miles

1*$ km5 east ofnchorageand 48 miles 64 km5 west of


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#wo types of ts"namis were prod"ced y this s"d"ction one earth!"ake. #here was a tectonic

ts"nami prod"ced in addition to ao"t *8 smaller and local ts"namis. #hese smaller ts"nami were

prod"ced y s"marine and s"aerial landslides and were responsile for the ma2ority of the

ts"nami damage. #s"nami wa3es were noted in o3er *8 co"ntries, incl"ding: &er", ew Jealand,

&ap"a ew )"inea, Aapan, and ntarctica. #he largest ts"nami wa3e was recorded in (ho"p ?ay,

laska, with a height of ao"t **8 ft 6+ m5.%-

Death toll, damage, and casualtiesedit-

This section needs additional citations #or $eri%cation. 8lease

hel9 im9rove this articleb: adding citations to reliable sources. 3nso

material ma: be challenged and removed. (March 2011)(Learn how andremove this template message)

#he largest landslide in nchorage occ"rred along 7nik rm etween &oint Woronof and Fish =reek, ca"sing

s"stantial damage to n"mero"s homes in the #"rnagain?y#he(ea s"di3ision.

#he r"in of &ortage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-ngdc.noaa.gov-3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-ngdc.noaa.gov-3https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiabilityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction_to_referencing_with_Wiki_Markup/1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-ngdc.noaa.gov-3https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiabilityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction_to_referencing_with_Wiki_Markup/1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal


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*E6 plank dri3en thro"gh a tenply tire y the ts"nami inWhittier.

s a res"lt of the earth!"ake, 1%9 people are elie3ed to ha3e died:%-Fifteen died as a res"lt of the

earth!"ake itself, 186 died from the s"se!"ent ts"nami in laska, +-$ died from the ts"nami

in @regon, and 1% died from the ts"nami in =alifornia.#he !"ake was a reported K; on the modified

'ercalli ;ntensity scaleLindicating ma2or str"ct"ral damage, and gro"nd fiss"res and fail"resL.-&roperty damage was estimated at ao"t M%11 million%-M*.*9 illion in c"rrent .(. dollars5.

()( 3ideo eEplaining the earth!"ake and footage

Anchorage areaedit-

'ost damage occ"rred in nchorage, +$ mi 1*8 km5 northwest of the epicenter. nchorage was nothit y ts"namis, "tdowntownnchorage was hea3ily damaged, and parts of the city "ilt on sandy

l"ffs o3erlying L?ootlegger =o3e clayL near =ook ;nlet, most notaly the #"rnagain neighorhood,

s"ffered landslidedamage. #he neighorhood lost +$ ho"ses in the landslide, and the destroyed

area has since een t"rned into Barth!"ake &ark. #he )o3ernment ill school s"ffered from the

)o3ernment ill landslide lea3ing it in two 2agged, roken pieces. 0and o3erlooking the (hip =reek

3alley near the laska Dailroad yards also slid, destroying many acres of "ildings and city locks in

downtown nchorage. 'ost other areas of the city were only moderately damaged. #he 68foot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittier,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittier,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-ngdc.noaa.gov-3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-NOAA1-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercalli_intensity_scalehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercalli_intensity_scalehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-ngdc.noaa.gov-3https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=4https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtownhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtownhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landslidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittier,_Alaskahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-ngdc.noaa.gov-3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-NOAA1-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercalli_intensity_scalehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercalli_intensity_scalehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-ngdc.noaa.gov-3https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtownhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landslide


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concrete control tower at thenchorage ;nternational irportwas not engineered to withstand

earth!"ake acti3ity and collapsed, killing William )eorge #aylor, the Federal 3iation gency ir

#raffic =ontroller on d"ty in the tower ca at the time the earth!"ake egan. 9-

@ne ho"se on W. 18th 3en"e s"ffered peripheral damage, "t only one lock away the recently

completed and still "nocc"pied5 Fo"r (easons ?"ilding on inth 3en"e collapsed completely, withthe concrete ele3ator shafts sticking "p o"t of the r"le like a seesaw.

#he hamlets of)irdwoodand &ortage, located %8 and 48 mi 68 km5 so"theast of central nchorage

on the #"rnagain rm, were destroyed y s"sidence and s"se!"ent tidal action. )irdwood was

relocated inland and &ortage was aandoned. o"t *8 miles %* km5 of the (eward ighway sank

elow the highwater mark of #"rnagain rm> the highway and its ridges were raised and re"ilt in

1964H66.

Elsewhere in Alaskaedit-

'ost coastal towns in the &rince William (o"nd,7enai &enins"la,and7odiak ;slandareas,especially the ma2or ports of (eward,Whittierand 7odiakwere hea3ily damaged y a comination of

seismic acti3ity, s"sidence, post!"ake ts"namis and/or earth!"akeca"sedfires.


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Elsewhereedit-

winter scene of a L)host forestL that was killed and preser3ed y salt water along with r"ined "ildings at the

site of the former town of &ortage, *811

#wel3e people were killed y the ts"nami in or near =rescent =ity, =alifornia, while fo"r children

were killed on the @regoncoast at?e3erly ?each (tate &ark.11-@ther coastal towns in the

.(. &acific orthwestand awaiiwere damaged. 'inor damage to oats occ"rred as far so"thas 0os ngeles.1*-Bffects of the earth!"ake were e3en noted as far east as #eEas. #ide ga"ges

in Freeportrecorded wa3es similar to seismic s"rface wa3es.1%-;n the Florida B3erglades, an artesian

a!"iferlocated near 0ake =hekika saw its water flow rate do"le from % million gallons per day to 6

million gallons per day, 68 to 98 min"tes after the first shock of the earth!"ake.14-

Aftershocksedit-

#here were h"ndreds of aftershocks in the first weeks following the main shock. ;n the first day

alone, ele3en ma2or aftershocks were recorded with a magnit"de greater than 6.8. ine more str"ck

o3er the neEt three weeks. ;n all, tho"sands of aftershocks occ"rred in the months following the!"ake, and smaller aftershocks contin"ed to strike the region for more than a year.1*-

http://earth!"ake."sgs.go3/earth!"akes/states/e3ents/1964_8%_*.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_City,_Californiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Beach_State_Parkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Beach_State_Parkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-11https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwesthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwesthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles,_Californiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles,_Californiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-anniversary2004-12https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-anniversary2004-12https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeport,_Texashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_wave#Mechanical_waveshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-13https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Evergladeshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesian_aquiferhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesian_aquiferhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-14https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-anniversary2004-12https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_City,_Californiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Beach_State_Parkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-11https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwesthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles,_Californiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-anniversary2004-12https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeport,_Texashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_wave#Mechanical_waveshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-13https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Evergladeshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesian_aquiferhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesian_aquiferhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-14https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1964_Alaska_earthquake&action=edit&section=8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake#cite_note-anniversary2004-12


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1964 Great Alaska Earthquake

1964 March 28 03:36 UTC

1964 March 27 05:36 p.m. local time

Magnitude 9.2

Largest Earthquake in Alaska

The ;reat Alaska


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School, sitting astride a huge landslide, was almost a total loss. Anchorage High School and Denali

Grade School were damaged severely. Duration of the shock was estimated at 3 minutes.

Landslides in Anchorage caused heavy damage. Huge slides occurred in the downtown business

section, at Government Hill, and at Turnagain Heights. The largest and most devastating landslide

occurred at Turnagain Heights. An area of about 130 acres was devastated by displacements thatbroke the ground into many deranged blocks that were collapsed and tilted at all angles. This slide

destroyed about 75 private houses. Water mains and gas, sewer, telephone, and electrical systems

were disrupted throughout the area.

Five-story JC !enney "uilding# $th Avenue and %owning &treet# Anchorage# Alaska# 'artly colla'sed

(y the )arch *+# 1964 earthquake ,ote undaaged (uildings near(y


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.andslide and slu'ing e//ects in the 0urnagain eights area# Anchorage# Alaska# caused (y the )arch

*+# 1964# earthquake

The earthquake was accompanied by vertical displacement over an area of about 520,000 square

kilometers. The major area of uplift trended northeast from southern Kodiak Island to Price William

Sound and trended east-west to the east of the sound. Vertical displacements ranged from about 11.5

meters of uplift to 2.3 meters of subsidence relative to sea level. Off the southwest end of Montague

Island, there was absolute vertical displacement of about 13 - 15 meters. Uplift also occurred along the

extreme southeast coast of Kodiak Island, Sitkalidak Island, and over part or all of Sitkinak Island. This

zone of subsidence covered about 285,000 square kilometers, including the north and west parts ofPrince William Sound, the west part of the Chugach Mountains, most of Kenai Peninsula, and almost

all the Kodiak Island group.

This shock generated a tsunami that devastated many towns along the Gulf of Alaska, and left serious

damage at Alberni and Port Alberni, Canada, along the West Coast of the United States (15 killed), and

in Hawaii. The maximum wave height recorded was 67 meters at Valdez Inlet. Seiche action in rivers,

lakes, bayous, and protected harbors and waterways along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas

caused minor damage. It was also recorded on tide gages in Cuba and Puerto Rico.

This great earthquake was felt over a large area of Alaska and in parts of western Yukon Territory and

British Columbia, Canada.

Abridged from Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey

Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.


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great alaska earthquake

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